含硫氨基酸与本征及缺陷石墨烯表面的相互作用

半胱氨酸及蛋氨酸是人体的两种含硫氨基酸,在生物活性中发挥着巨大的作用.本研究采用密度泛函理论方法对以上两种氨基酸在本征及缺陷石墨烯表面的吸附机理进行了详细研究.主要考虑了两种吸附体系:半胱氨酸及蛋氨酸平躺在两种石墨烯表面;两种氨基酸垂直地放置于两种石墨烯表面,且含硫的基团靠近表面.研究结果表明,半胱氨酸及蛋氨酸初始构型对它们之间的相互作用有一定的影响.两种氨基酸平躺时有较大的吸附能.此外,吸附能的结果显示两种氨基酸可以更好的与缺陷石墨烯表面紧密结合.同时,蛋氨酸与本征及缺陷石墨烯相互作用均大于半胱氨酸与本征及缺陷石墨烯相互作用.模拟结果有望为含硫氨基酸的石墨烯传感器提供有用的指导.     

Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with 3‐Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane and Its Electrocatalytic Activity in Aqueous Medium

In this work, a highly dispersed graphene oxide (GO) was successfully functionalized with 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) molecule by silanization method. The chemically generated GO and MPTS functionalized GO (MPTS‐GO) were structurally characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDAX), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV‐Vis) techniques. The MPTS‐GO is highly suspensable in water. The thermal and conductivity results for MPTS‐GO are significantly increased compared to GO. Moreover, glassy carbon electrode modified with MPTS‐GO hybrid (MPTS‐GO/GCE) was prepared by casting of the MPTS‐GO solution on GCE. The MPTS‐GO/GCE showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards methionine (Met). This was understood from the observed less positive oxidation potential and higher oxidation current when compared to bare GC electrode. The MPTS‐GO has excellent electrocatalytic activity, making it an ideal candidate for sensor applications.     

Capillary electrophoresis separation of peptide diastereomers that contain methionine sulfoxide by dual cyclodextrin‐crown ether systems†

A dual‐selector system employing achiral crown ethers in combination with cyclodextrins has been developed for the separation of peptide diastereomers that contain methionine sulfoxide. The combinations of the crown ethers 15‐crown‐5, 18‐crown‐6, Kryptofix® 21 and Kryptofix® 22 and β‐cyclodextrin, carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin, and sulfated β‐cyclodextrin were screened at pH 2.5 and pH 8.0 using a 40/50.2 cm, 50 μm id fused‐silica capillary and a separation voltage of 25 kV. No diastereomer separation was observed in the sole presence of crown ethers, while only sulfated β‐cyclodextrin was able to resolve some peptide diastereomers at pH 8.0. Depending on the amino acid sequence of the peptide and the applied cyclodextrin, the addition of crown ethers, especially the Krpytofix® diaza‐crown ethers, resulted in significantly enhanced chiral recognition. Keeping one selector of the dual system constant, increasing concentrations of the second selector resulted in increased peak resolution and analyte migration time for peptide‐crown ether‐cyclodextrin combinations. The simultaneous diastereomer separation of three structurally related peptides was achieved using the dual selector system.     

光谱法和电化学法研究甲硫氨酸二肽与DNA的相互作用

利用紫外-可见光谱、荧光探针、循环伏安等方法研究了甲硫氨酸二肽(Met-Met)与DNA的相互作用.结果发现:加入甲硫氨酸二肽后,DNA-Met-Met体系的紫外光谱呈减色效应,同时甲硫氨酸二肽的加入使得EB-DNA荧光强度减弱;循环伏安法表明,DNA的加入使得甲硫氨酸二肽的峰电流减小,峰位负移;Stern-Volmer方程说明二肽对DNA-EB的作用属于静态猝灭.这几种方法的实验结果都表明两者的作用模式为静电结合,多种计算方法得到两者作用的结合常数达到103 L/mol.     

Atomic level analysis of biomolecules by the scanning atom probe

Utilizing the unique features of the scanning atom probe (SAP) the binding states of the biomolecules, leucine and methionine, are investigated at atomic level. The molecules are mass analyzed by detecting a single atom and/or clustering atoms field evaporated from a specimen surface. Since the field evaporation is a static process, the evaporated clustering atoms are closely related with the binding between atoms forming the molecules. For example, many thiophene radicals are detected when polythiophene is mass analyzed by the SAP. In the present study the specimens are prepared by immersing a micro cotton ball of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in the leucine or methionine solution. The mass spectra obtained by analyzing the cotton balls exhibit singly and doubly ionized carbon ions of SWCNT and the characteristic fragments of the molecules, CH₃, CHCH₃, C₄H₇, CHNH₂ and COOH for leucine and CH₃, SCH₃, C₂H₄, C₄H₇, CHNH₂ and COOH for methionine.     

Hepatic lipid composition analysis using 3.0-T MR spectroscopy in a steatotic rat model

Purpose

To investigate the feasibility of in vivo assessment of hepatic lipid composition using 3.0-T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) in a steatotic rat model and compare it to histopathological and biochemical assessment.

Materials and Methods

Hepatic steatosis was induced by feeding rats with a methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 weeks (n=5 per group). At the end of the diet period, ¹H-MRS of the liver was performed, and rats were sacrificed for histopathological and biochemical assessment of the liver. Spectra were acquired in a single voxel (1.2 cc) using a point-resolved spectroscopic sequence with TE/TR=35/2000 ms and 64 signal acquisitions. From the MR spectra, peak area ratios were calculated to estimate hepatic lipid composition.

Results

During MCD diet periods, hepatic steatosis significantly increased on histopathology (P<.001). The ¹H-MRS measurements of total hepatic fat content [1.3/(1.3+4.65) ppm] correlated strongly with histological macrovesicular hepatic steatosis (r=0.93, P<.001) and with the biochemical total hepatic fatty acids (r=0.94, P<.001). Total unsaturated fatty acids [TUFA, 5.4/(1.3+4.65) ppm] estimated with ¹H-MRS strongly correlated with the biochemical unsaturated fatty acids (r=0.90, P<.001). Polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA, 2.8/(1.3+4.65) ppm] estimated with ¹H-MRS strongly correlated with biochemical PUFA (r=0.91, P<.001). The proportion of total unsaturated fatty acids relative to the amount of total fatty acids (rTUFA, 5.4/1.3ppm) measured with ¹H-MRS strongly correlated with the biochemical amount of unsaturated relative to total hepatic fatty acids (r=0.81, P<.001). The proportion of PUFA relative to the amount of total fatty acids (rPUFA, 2.8/1.3 ppm) measured with ¹H-MRS correlated with the biochemical amount of PUFA relative to total fatty acids (r=0.59, P=0.005,) and with the biochemical amount of omega-6 PUFA relative to total fatty acids (r=0.73, P<.001).PUFA at ¹H-MRS correlated with the histopathologically assessed degree of lobular inflammation in the liver (r=0.57, P=.001).

Conclusion

3.0T ¹H-MRS is able to measure poly- and unsaturated hepatic fatty acids and this strongly correlates with biochemical assessment. This study provides evidence that 3.0-T ¹H-MRS is a noninvasive technique to assess hepatic lipid composition.     

Comparison of pulsed amperometric detection and integrated voltammetric detection for inorganic sulfur compounds in liquid chromatography

A Variety of potential–time waveforms are useful in pulsed electrochemical detection (PED) when applied for the amperometric detection of numerous polar organic compounds following their separation by liquid chromatography (LC). Here, we compare the waveforms for pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) and integrated voltammetric detection (IVD) applied for detection of organosulfur compounds at Au electrodes in acidic media. In PAD waveforms, electrodes response is measured at a constant detection potentials. In IVD waveforms, electrodes current is integrated throughout a fast cyclic scan of the detection potential. As a consequence of this difference in detection strategy, the background signal for IVD is significantly smaller for PAD in the detection of organosulfur compounds whose response mechanisms require the concomitant formation of surface oxides on Au electrodes. Furthermore, in comparison to Pad, IVD has a larger sensitivity and a diminished system peak from 0₂ dissolved in the sample. Use of a preadsorption step increases detection sensitivity in both PAD and IVD. The limit of detection (S/N=3)for cysteine in LC-IVD is ca. 6 nM for a 50-μl injection (i.e., 300 fmol) using a detection waveform that includes a 1000-ms preadsorption period.     

Comparison of Methionine α,γ‐Lyase and Homocysteine α,γ‐Lyase for Electrochemical Determination of Homocysteine

Recently, a novel enzymatic method was developed for determination of homocysteine. This method utilizes the electrochemical hydrogen sulfide sensor along with methionine α,γ‐lyase to accomplish the fast, accurate, sensitive and selective measurements. As a continuation of this work, another enzyme, homocysteine α,γ‐lyase, was used and the parallel experiments of using both enzymes were carried out against the effect of pH, sensitivity, linearity, and interferences, in an intended comparison between these two enzymes. The excellent linearity of amperometric currents against homocysteine concentrations, high sensitivities and low detection limits for both enzymes reconfirmed that the electrochemical method is superior over other analytical means. The high enzymatic activity of methionine α,γ‐lyase surpassing homocysteine α,γ‐lyase endowed the former higher sensitivity, lower detection limit and faster response than the latter, suggesting methionine α,γ‐lyase a better candidate for homocysteine measurement by electrochemical method. The differences between these two enzymes on the trends of response time and sensitivity at different pH environments, reactivity toward several forms of homocysteine as well as on the interference from several agents were also addressed and discussed.     

Papain Catalyzed Oligomerization of α-Amino Acids. Synthesis and characterization of water-insoluble oligomers of L-methionine

Water-insoluble oligomers were synthesized from L -methionine ethyl ester with papain as the catalyst. L -Oligomethionine was obtained in yields of 50% when synthesis was carried out in highly concentrated citrate buffer at pH 5.5. Yields of up to 85% were obtained when the enzymatic synthesis proceeded in distilled water at pH 6.5, the pH being strictly maintained. The insoluble polymer was converted to highly water-soluble sulfoxide and sulfone derivatives, which consist mainly of an octamer with low amounts of heptamer or hexamer. Most of the carboxyl terminals still contained the ethyl ester group, only a minor part being present in the free acid form. The potential of the enzymatic approach for the synthesis of optically pure and monodisperse oligomers of α-amino acids is discussed.     

In vitro translation with [<Superscript>34</Superscript>S]-labeled methionine,selenomethionine, and telluromethionine

Heteroisotope and heteroatom tagging with [³⁴S]-enriched methionine (Met), selenomethionine (SeMet), and telluromethionine (TeMet) was applied to in vitro translation. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and JNK stimulatory phosphatase-1 (JSP-1) genes were translated with wheat germ extract (WGE) in the presence of Met derivatives. GFPs containing Met derivatives were subjected to HPLC coupled with treble detection, i.e., a photodiode array detector, a fluorescence detector, and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The activities of JSP-1-containing Met derivatives were also measured. GFP and JSP-1 containing [³⁴S]-Met and SeMet showed comparable fluorescence intensities and enzyme activities to those containing naturally occurring Met. TeMet was unstable and decomposed in WGE, whereas SeMet was stable throughout the experimental period. Thus, although Te was the most sensitive to ICP-MS detection among S, Se, and Te, TeMet was less incorporated into the proteins than Met and SeMet. Finally, the potential of heteroisotope and heteroatom tagging of desired proteins in in vitro translation followed by ICP-MS detection was discussed. Figure TeMet was less incorporated into GFP than Met and SeMet due to its instability in WGE